Seven Natural wonders of the world

The planet has many wonderful assets and there has been no consensus on how long this list should be. I bring you this list of the seven wonders of the natural world compiled by CNN.

Aurora: God’s spectacular display of light and color, Aurora – also called the northern or southern lights – usually occur in the nighttime in the polar regions. Lights that can be see in the northern hemisphere are called the Aurora Borealis while the southern lights are called the Aurora Australis.

Though the aurora can be seen throughout the year, the greatest chances to experience this celestial show is during the months of March, April, September and October.

The Grand Canyon: A massive steep sided gorge created by the Colorado river in Arizona, United States, the Grand Canyon was formed over a 5.4 million year period. The canyon is 446 kilometres long, with a width ranging from 7 to 29 kilometres with a depth of almost 2 kms.

Even with such fantastic figures, the Grand Canyon is not the steepest nor the longest canyon in the world, but is recognized as a natural wonder because of the overall scale and size combined with the beautifully colored landscape.

Great Barrier Reef: The largest coral reef system in the world, the Great Barrier reef is made up of 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres. The reef is located off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia in the Coral sea and supports one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. The reef is visible from outer space.

Harbour of Rio de Janeiro: Located around Rio de Janeiro, the harbour of Rio de Janerio is surrounded by unique mountains and formations. the harbour was created by erosion from the Atlantic Ocean. The Harbour is surrounded by gorgeous mountains that include Sugar Loaf at 1,296 feet, Corcovado Peak at 2,310 feet, and the hills of Tijuca at 3,350 feet.

This harbour falls in the natural wonder category because this one site looks like many different thing depending on where you see it from. Some of the first explorers thought it looked like the mouth of some giant river. The giant mountains by it deceive your eyes to make it seem like a lake. Some of the mountains are low and run straight into the water.

Mount Everest: The name speaks for itself. Highest point on the surface of the earth (29,029 feet), located in the Himalayas.

Paricutin: A cinder cone volcano in Mexico, Paricutin was named one of the seven natural wonders as an active volcano. The volcano has been dormant since the last eruption in 1952.

What is remarkable about this volcano is that it is the youngest volcano in America and its birth was witness by a human being. The volcano began as a fissure in a cornfield owned by a P’urhépecha farmer, Dionisio Pulido on February 20, 1943. Pulido, his wife, and their son all witnessed the initial eruption of ash and stones first-hand as they plowed the field. The volcano grew quickly, reaching five stories tall in just a week, and it could be seen from afar in a month.

Victoria Falls: Also called the “smoke that thunders”, Victoria Falls is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the borders of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Zambezi River serves as the fall’s water source.

While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is claimed to be the largest based on a width of 1,708 metres and height of 108 meters, forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world. The falls are formed as the full width of the Zambezi river plummets in a single vertical drop into a transverse chasm 1708 meters (5604 ft) wide.